Terminal-count estimation device and terminal-count estimation method

Abstract

A number-of-terminals estimation device includes: a location data acquisition unit to acquire location data which are a collection of multiple pieces of location information including location registration information; a first presence count estimation unit to estimate a first presence count to be the number of terminals in observation area during observation period, based on the location data; a signal removal unit to extract location data in accordance with a type of location data from the location data; a second presence count estimation unit to estimate a second presence count to be the number of terminals in observation area during observation period, based on extracted location data; and a third presence count estimation unit to estimate a third presence count to be the number of terminals in observation area during observation period, based on one or both of first and second presence counts.

1 . A number-of-terminals estimation device comprising:
 a location data acquisition unit for acquiring location data which are a collection of multiple pieces of location information including location registration information;   a first presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in an observation area during an observation period, as a first presence count, based on the location data acquired by the location data acquisition unit;   an extraction unit for extracting location data in accordance with a type of location data, from the location data acquired by the location data acquisition unit;   a second presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a second presence count, based on the extracted location data; and   a third presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a third presence count, based on one or both of the first presence count obtained by the first presence count estimation unit and the second presence count obtained by the second presence count estimation unit.   
     
     
         2 . A number-of-terminals estimation device comprising:
 a location data acquisition unit for acquiring location data which are a collection of multiple pieces of location information including location registration information;   a first presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in an observation area during an observation period, as a first presence count, based on the location data acquired by the location data acquisition unit;   a signal removal unit for removing location registration information generated due to a crossing of a terminal across a location registration area boundary, from the location data acquired by the location data acquisition unit, to obtain location data after removal;   a second presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a second presence count, based on the location data after removal obtained by the signal removal unit; and   a third presence count estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a third presence count, based on one or both of the first presence count obtained by the first presence count estimation unit and the second presence count obtained by the second presence count estimation unit.   
     
     
         3 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the third presence count estimation unit estimates an error of the number of terminals caused by a crossing of a terminal across a location registration area boundary, based on the first presence count and the second presence count. 
     
     
         4 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the third presence count estimation unit estimates the third presence count by switching the presence count as a basis of estimation for each observation area, among the first presence count only, the second presence count only, and, both of the first and second presence counts. 
     
     
         5 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the third presence count estimation unit estimates, as the third presence count, the number of terminals corresponding to a predetermined proportional division point between the first presence count and the second presence count. 
     
     
         6 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the third presence count estimation unit estimates the third presence count as follows:
 when the first presence count is not less than the second presence count, the third presence count estimation unit estimates the third presence count to be the number of terminals corresponding to a predetermined proportional division point between the first presence count and the second presence count;   when the first presence count is less than the second presence count, the third presence count estimation unit estimates the third presence count to be the second presence count.   
     
     
         7 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the location data includes identification information to identify a terminal and location acquisition time information when the location information is acquired, associated with each piece of location information, and
 wherein both or one of the first presence count estimation unit and the second presence count estimation unit includes:   a preceding and following location data acquisition unit for, concerning a target location data, acquiring location acquisition time information of location data immediately preceding the target location data and location acquisition time information of location data immediately following the target location data, out of location data including the same identification information as the target location data;   a feature amount calculation unit for calculating a feature amount on the target location data, based on at least two of the location acquisition time information of the immediately-preceding location data, the location acquisition time information of the target location data, and the location acquisition time information of the immediately-following location data;   an observation target acquisition unit for acquiring, as observation target location data, one or more pieces of location data including location acquisition time information after an observation start time and before an observation end time about an observation period to be observed and including location information associated with observation area information about an observation area to be observed; and   a number-of-terminals estimation unit for estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, based on the feature amount on the observation target location data and a length of the observation period being a difference between the observation start time and the observation end time.   
     
     
         8 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 7 , wherein the feature amount calculation unit operates as follows:
 the feature amount calculation unit makes a determination on whether or not the target location data includes location registration information generated due to a crossing across a location registration area boundary and a determination on whether or not the immediately-following location data includes location registration information generated due to a crossing across a location registration area boundary;   the feature amount calculation unit calculates the feature amount on the target location data, using at least two of the location acquisition time information of the target location data, the location acquisition time information of the immediately-preceding location data, and the location acquisition time information of the immediately-following location data, according to the result of the determination on whether or not the target location data includes location registration information generated due to a crossing across a location registration area boundary and the result of the determination on whether or not the immediately-following location data includes location registration information generated due to a crossing across a location registration area boundary.   
     
     
         9 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 8 , wherein the feature amount calculation unit operates as follows:
 when the target location data includes the location registration information generated due to the crossing across the location registration area boundary, the feature amount calculation unit sets a location acquisition time of the target location data to a first variable;   when the target location data does not include the location registration information generated due to the crossing across the location registration area boundary, the feature amount calculation unit sets a midpoint time between the location acquisition time of the target location data and the location acquisition time of the immediately-preceding location data to the first variable;   when the immediately-following location data includes the location registration information generated due to the crossing across the location registration area boundary, the feature amount calculation unit sets a location acquisition time of the immediately-following location data to a second variable;   when the immediately-following location data does not include the location registration information generated due to the crossing across the location registration area boundary, the feature amount calculation unit sets a midpoint time between the location acquisition time of the target location data and the location acquisition time of the immediately-following location data to the second variable; and   the feature amount calculation unit calculates the feature amount on the target location data, based on a difference between the first variable and the second variable set.   
     
     
         10 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 8 , wherein the feature amount calculation unit operates as follows:
 when a difference between a location acquisition time of the target location data and a first variable is larger than a predetermined value, the feature amount calculation unit calculates the feature amount on the target location data, using as the first variable, a time set backward by a predetermined time from the location acquisition time of the target location data;   when a difference between the location acquisition time of the target location data and a second variable is larger than a predetermined value, the feature amount calculation unit calculates the feature amount on the target location data, using as the second variable, a time set forward by a predetermined time from the location acquisition time of the target location data.   
     
     
         11 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a population estimation unit for estimating a population in the observation area during the observation period, based on the third presence count obtained by the third presence count estimation unit and a ratio of a presence count and a population in a predetermined area.   
     
     
         12 . The number-of-terminals estimation device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an observation period acquisition unit for acquiring observation period information including a set of an observation start time and an observation end time; and   an observation area acquisition unit for acquiring observation area information associated with one or more pieces of location information.   
     
     
         13 . A number-of-terminals estimation method executed by a number-of-terminals estimation device, comprising:
 a location data acquisition step of acquiring location data which are a collection of multiple pieces of location information including location registration information;   a first presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in an observation area during an observation period, as a first presence count, based on the location data acquired in the location data acquisition step;   an extraction step of extracting location data in accordance with a type of location data, from the location data acquired in the location data acquisition step;   a second presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a second presence count, based on the extracted location data; and   a third presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a third presence count, based on one or both of the first presence count acquired in the first presence count estimation step and the second presence count acquired in the second presence count estimation step.   
     
     
         14 . A number-of-terminals estimation method executed by a number-of-terminals estimation device, comprising:
 a location data acquisition step of acquiring location data which are a collection of multiple pieces of location information including location registration information;   a first presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in an observation area during an observation period, as a first presence count, based on the location data acquired in the location data acquisition step;   a signal removal step of removing location registration information generated due to a crossing of a terminal across a location registration area boundary, from the location data acquired in the location data acquisition step, to obtain location data after removal;   a second presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a second presence count, based on the location data after removal obtained in the signal removal step; and   a third presence count estimation step of estimating the number of terminals located in the observation area during the observation period, as a third presence count, based on one or both of the first presence count acquired in the first presence count estimation step and the second presence count acquired in the second presence count estimation step.